| Thesis examines the construction of childhood identity among ancestral and historic Puebloans from American Southwest, based on the analysis of skeletal remains. Research is based on the premise that social identity becomes embedded in the physical body, and, therefore, in the skeletal remains of the individuals. Specifically, activities deemed appropriate for children of different ages, access to food, and exposure to risky behaviours and pathogens are expected to be reflected in growth, mortality and health patterns. With this in mind, I created a model for the study of childhood identity in skeletal population, that reflects the relationships between the environment, culture, individual's biological vulnerability and health. Model is then applied to the ethnographic Puebloan sources to construct the patterns of mortality, growth and non-specific stress indicators that are expected to reflect social construction of childhood identity among Pueblo tribes.;Sample includes five archaeological sites (NAN Ranch, Grasshopper, Arroyo Hondo, Hawikku, and San Cristobal) that belong to the different periods of Puebloan history, are assigned to different archaeological cultures, and were inhibited by members of different ethnolinguistic groups. Analyses of mortality, growth and non-specific stress indicators confirms that the social construction of childhood does affect health, and as such can be identified through the analysis of skeletal remains. Comparison between modern, historic and ancestral Puebloans suggests that they shared similar construction of childhood, and common characteristics that diverge from the expected mortality and growth patterns. Specifically, following expected high mortality during first two years, mortality increases between 3 and 7 years of age compared to the expected mortality curve. This might be associated with the increased independence described in the ethnographic record. Growth analysis shows similar pattern, with juveniles exhibiting faltered growth until 5-6 years of age, followed by catch-up growth. This growth pattern is not observed only at the Grasshopper Pueblo, and this corresponds with the variability of childhood identity between Eastern and Western Pueblo tribes. |
